By Wole Balogun
The number one Muslim in the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) community, Prof. Tajudeen Bolanle Opoola, who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) Administration of the University, has said his principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina, does not run an administration that muzzles the Muslim community on campus.
Prof. Opoola, who described Prof. Fasina as a highly religiously tolerant leader, said those who fed the Muslim Rights Concerns (MURIC) leader, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, lies about the personality and leadership style of the VC did not mean well and only did so for selfish and mischievous purposes.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Friday, Prof. Opoola, who appreciated Prof. Akintola’s concerns for the welfare of Muslims in FUOYE, clarified that the MURIC leader was misinformed by those who alleged that Prof. Fasina muzzles the Muslim community in FUOYE.
His words: “While appreciating and commending MURIC’s concern for the welfare of Muslims in FUOYE, it is eminently important to inform the public of Prof. A.S. Fasina’s positive stand on the promotion of Islam in FUOYE.
“There has been a cordial relationship between Muslim and Christian communities in both Oye and Ikole campuses of our University through a non-discriminatory attitude of Prof. A.S. Fasina, who has done much in support of Islam on campus compared to his predecessors.
“Prof. Fasina has enormously supported the cause of Islam on campus in his zeal to ensure holistic welfare and well-being for all Muslims on the campus. He supported us greatly in realizing the dream of a mosque for Muslims. He saw us through the building of our mosque from scratch to its completion and often funded the project with his personal money until we completed the mosque. He has also provided us with a new site for a bigger mosque in Oye campus. The VC also attends the Convocation Jumat service physically as a way of fully identifying with us.
“Of many instances of Prof. Fasina’s support for the Muslim community is also in the issue of dressing code that accommodates female students, such as wearing hijab, as embedded in the students’ handbook during his tenure.
“In the administration of Prof. Fasina, many Muslims have been appointed to different sensitive positions, including the DVC, Admin, Prof. Opoola, who is myself, the Registrar, Alhaji Mufutau Ibrahim, the Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA), Prof. Oyedokun Wasiu-Alli, the Director of FUOYE Medical Centre, Dr. Olawale Musbau, the Director of the Directorate of Affiliations, Prof. Olaide Hammed, Prof. Abiodun A. Ajiboye as Director of Newly established FUOYE’s Directorate of Trado Medical Products, Dr. Modinat, Female Gender Desk Officer of the University, Dr. (Mrs.) Ashiyanbi Serifat, Head of Department, History and International Studies, Dr. Waheed Olaide Oladimeji, Head of Linguistics Department, Prof. Taofiq Olaide Nasir, Head of Department, Religious Studies, and Mr. Salahudeen Teslim, a young and fresh graduate of the University, who was not only appointed recently as a Graduate Assistant of his Department but also as Special Adviser (SA) on Student Affairs to the VC.
“The recently conducted Congregation was scheduled to hold from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on a Friday, which shows it was not meant to undermine the period of Jumat service. However, Muslim members went for Jumat service and returned without hindrance. Regarding the inaugural lecture, ordinarily, inaugural lectures in FUOYE commence from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on all weekdays. The last Friday inaugural lecture in question was delayed to commence until 3:00 p.m. by management, which means it began after the Jumat service.
“On the strength of the above clarifications, there is no animosity between the Muslim community and the VC and other parties in FUOYE, where we all relate with one another in peace and harmony, like brothers and sisters on campus, irrespective of our faith divides.
